Begin Again
by TheFreakWithTheWings
Summary: The Sith Temple de-aged Ahsoka to three years old. Rather than kill her, Vader decided to make her his new Apprentice.
1. Chapter 1

The crackling energy of the Sith Temple swept over Vader like the first gust of wind before a sandstorm. It was painful, but nowhere near as painful as losing his remaining three limbs and then literally burning alive had been.

However, the energy appeared to have a much more negative effect on Ahsoka. She had collapsed, and there was something definitely wrong with her. She was smaller. Much smaller. Strange that he hadn't been affected. Maybe it only shrunk those who used the Light Side?

The tiny Togruta clumsily pushed herself to her feet and stared around in confusion. She couldn't have been more than three years old.

Finally, she saw him. Little Ahsoka looked up and up and up and her eyes met his one exposed eye.

"Anakin?" the tiny toddler chirped. "Wha' happened t' you?"

Vader silently stared at Ahsoka, drowning in her shirt that had become a dress on her much shortened frame. He didn't want to admit it, not even to himself, but Skywalker's former Padawan was adorable as a toddler.

The three-year old waddled over to him, latched onto his leg, and peered up at him with her big, blue eyes. Vader ignited his lightsaber, considering, for a moment, killing her and ridding himself of one of Skywalker's last failures.

Ahsoka meeped and ducked around him, curling up in his cloak, as if being out of sight will protect her. Her nebulous Force presence reached out towards him, clinging to his as she sought safety and comfort.

Vader decided that it would be an even bigger insult to Skywalker's legacy if he raised Ahsoka as a Sith, make her into his own apprentice. He extinguished his lightsaber and gently untangled her from his cloak.

"Why you evil?" Ahsoka asked, hugging his leg again.

"Don't touch me," he growled as he used the Force to detach her and stalked off towards the exit. Well, it was more of a limp, but the only one who was there to see was a three-year old.

Vader could hear the patter of Ahsoka's bare feet as she tried to keep up with him. He looked back once he reached the exit, tracking her progress. If his respirator had allowed him to sigh, he would have; she was a lot slower as a toddler.

He wasn't surprised when Ahsoka tripped over the hem of her shirt and fell forward, the breastplate the only thing keeping her from smashing her face against the ground. She lay there for a few seconds, and Vader began to fear she would start crying.

"Anakin, c' you help me?" she asked, flailing her arms and legs.

He used the Force to lift her off the ground and carry her the rest of the way. It was faster than waiting for the toddler to make her way over. She shrieked and then began to giggle helplessly as she floated.

"Again, again," she demanded as soon as he set her down on the ground.

"We do not have time for this foolishness," he said rather than explain that he had been worn out from fighting her. Skywalker's Padawan had only grown more skilled since she had left the treacherous Jedi Order, and he had not expected that.

He began to walk back towards his ship again, but he went slower this time so that Ahsoka would not fall behind. She appeared to be of the same mind because she grabbed the end of his cape and held onto it as they walked to their ship.

It didn't take him long to repair the Inquisitors' ship; it had only been a droid that had disabled it, and an obsolete one at that. Ahsoka was more of a hinderance than a help in the repairs; she clearly remembered how to repair ships, but would easily get distracted by bits and pieces and play with them using the Force. It was quite annoying. Vader would have yelled at her for it, but he was too busy. His life support wouldn't hold up forever, not after the damage that the adult version of Ahsoka had done to it, and it was imperative he returned to his ship as soon as possible.

Ahsoka did not have much assistance to offer in flying the Inquisitors' ship either, being too small to reach any of the controls.

They reached his Star Destroyer in good time, meaning that his suit was still holding together. The depressurization caused by the hole Ahsoka had cut into his mask and helmet had not been good for his lungs. He needed to spend at least twelve hours in the hyperbaric chamber before he would be in any shape to report to his Master.

That left only the problem of what to do with Ahsoka. From what he understood of children, she was too young to be left on her own for long periods of time. Maybe ordering her to go to sleep would work? No, better to get a trooper to watch over her, preferably one of the ones who were unswervingly loyal to him.

Moments after he thought of summoning a trooper, though, Ahsoka was asleep, curled up in a chair in his quarters and dead to the world. Vader used what the tattered remains of the training bond from fifteen years ago to brush over her mind with the Force, checking to see if she was actually asleep. Tomorrow, after he reported to his Master, he decided that he would work on rebuilding their bond. Then, satisfied with the current state of affairs, if not happy with them, Vader shut himself up in his hyperbaric chamber and sent himself into a healing trance.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I have no idea where this came from. None.

Vader was pulled from his meditation by screams of pain and fear that echoed in the Force. He reached out, following the pain back to its source. Ahsoka. She was having a nightmare.

He should have expected something like this. As an adult, Ahsoka might have been able to handle the horrors of her past. The Clone Wars alone would be enough to give most beings nightmares. However, she was now three years old, and her brain would likely be struggling to deal.

The pain of her memories could be used to drive her towards the Dark Side and make her more powerful once she inevitably fell. Besides, she had left him; she deserved to hurt.

And yet, a small part of him, the part that had called out to her on Malachor, that had been relieved to learn she had survived, wanted to end her pain, to keep her from being hurt. Clearly, the best way to do that would be to erase her memories of everything before her third year.

Ahsoka had told Skywalker that one of the Jedi had found her on Shili when she was three, so it would be best if he took everything from that point onwards. She would no longer have any of the Jedi brainwashing to hold her back from touching the Dark Side.

After Vader had decided upon his course of action, there was no point in attempting to meditate again. It would just be a waste of time.

Ahsoka was still asleep when he found her, caught in the throes of a nightmare. She was curled up tightly around her pillow, traces of tears on her face. Skywalker, he was sure, would have been moved to try and comfort her, but he felt nothing.

Using the Force, he traced the tatters of their old training bond into her head, figuring that it would take a simple scan to identify the problematic memories and then erase them. Unfortunately for Vader, Ahsoka's shield had survived her transformation, and he found himself sucked into her nightmare.

They were in the room where the Jedi Council had banished her, the shadowy figures of the Council more suggestions than actual people. Ahsoka, only three years old even in her dream, cowered in the center platform. Vader was frozen in place and could only watch.

"This is your fault!" they shouted. "He fell because you left!"

"No, no I had to leave," she cried. "I had to."

"You left us to die," they accused, and suddenly their faces were visible.

Vader fought not to recoil in disgust. The Jedi Council members were all dead, their empty eyes filmed over, their flesh rotted and riddled with blaster wounds.

"It's all your fault," another voice accused, stepping out of the shadows. It was Ahsoka, but this was the Ahsoka who had fought Skywalker and Kenobi on Mortis. This Ahsoka was the Sith.

"No! I didn't do anything!" the real Ahsoka shouted, covering her montrals. A high pitched scream escaped her, and Vader flinched momentarily.

Everything froze.

Ahsoka looked up, staring straight at him.

"Anakin?" she asked. "What are you doing?"

She stood up and hopped down off of the pedestal, the dead Jedi Council fading into nothingness behind her. The Sith version of herself stepped up next to her, and then three versions joined them. The first one was fourteen years old, Skywalker's new Padawan. Another version of his Padawan was there as well, the seventeen year-old who had walked away. The final version to emerge from the shadows of her mind was the adult he had fought on Malachor.

The adult crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. "I think we know why he's here."

The Sith smiled, her fangs glinting from some hidden light source. "He wants to get rid of you."

"No," the one who had left said. "He wants to get rid of _us_. Don't forget, you're a part of us too."

"Do you wanna fight me?" the Sith snarled.

The Padawan picked up the toddler. "We shouldn't fight, not now. There is no chaos, there is harmony, remember?"

"We aren't Jedi anymore," the one who left said. "We don't need to follow their code."

"Anakin wouldn't hurt us," the toddler chimed in. "He promised."

"Is that monster even Anakin anymore though?" the Padawan asked. "After all, once a Jedi falls, they can never return to the Light."

"He did once before," the adult pointed out. "Besides, we're going to stay even if he does remain in darkness."

"What?" Vader snarled, startled. He had no memory of Skywalker falling before his existence. They ignored him.

"But last time was artificial," the one who left argued. "That was the Son's fault."

So it had happened on Mortis. Was it the Father or Kenobi who had made him forget?

"Then whose fault was this?" the Sith asked, gesturing to him. "Obi-Wan's? The Council's? The Emperor's? Ours?"

The one who had left crumpled to the ground, clutching at her montrals. "Oh Force, this is our fault, this is all our fault," she muttered, her eyes wide and panicky.

The Sith snorted derisively.

The adult crouched down beside her younger self. "No it's not. Anakin was an adult, a Knight. It was his choice to fall."

The one who left stared up at the adult and then disappeared in a flash of light. The adult turned to the Sith, who sneered at her but also vanished. The Padawan set down the three year old and then was gone, leaving only the adult and the toddler.

"Now, what to do with you," the adult mused, staring at Vader pensively. "The way I see it, you have to options. You can either overpower me and erase me, which will leave behind someone you don't want to meet, or you can leave and accept me as I am."

"Is that a threat?" Vader asked, growing angry.

The toddler grinned. "We promised we'd stay. We're not gonna hurt you, but the Lady might. She doesn't like Dark siders."

"Her mercy is infinite," the adult broke in. "But it is cruel in itself. Leave Anakin."

Vader had a suspicion he knew who she was talking about, but that was impossible. The Daughter had died on Mortis. Unless Ahsoka's resurrection had somehow allowed the Daughter to keep a foothold in life by hiding in the subconscious of Skywalker's Padawan.

"I defeated the Daughter once, and I am stronger now," Vader pointed out.

The adult sighed. "You've spent too long festering in the Dark. Goodbye Anakin." Then she too disappeared, leaving only the toddler.

A strange beeping noise drifted through his ears, disrupting his thoughts. Ahsoka seemed to hear it too because she grinned and said "It's time to wake up."

The world faded to gray as his mind was forced back into his body.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I was going to post this on the 4th, but I have no self control when it comes to fic. Also, this chapter was kinda dark the first time I wrote it; I'm so glad I managed to avoid that the second time.

The beeping turned out to be his comm, alerting him that the Emperor was waiting for a report about the events on Malachor.

Vader swept out of the room where Ahsoka was sleeping.

"Don't let the prisoner leave," he ordered the stormtroopers outside the door before continuing onwards.

His Master was already waiting for him when he arrived. Kriff. This was going to be bad.

"So nice of you to show up, Lord Vader," his Master said.

Vader bowed, lowering himself to one knee. "I live to serve, my Master."

"Tell me, then. How was your mission to Malachor?" Sidious asked pleasantly.

"I was unable to retrieve the holocron," Vader said. "The Rebels stole it before I could."

"Spare me your excuses!" his Master spat. "And what of Maul?"

"Dead, my Master, along with Ahsoka Tano." From a certain point of view, it was true.

Sidious smirked. "Skywalker's apprentice, dead at long last. Was it you who killed her?"

"No, she was killed when the Temple exploded," Vader said.

"Pity. I'm sure you would have liked to be the one to sever one of the last remaining ties to Anakin Skywalker," his Master mused. Sidious took a great deal of pleasure in reminding Vader that Kenobi was still at large.

"Indeed, my Master," was all Vader said.

"We don't have time for you to go on another hunt for Kenobi, however. You must hunt down those Rebels and retrieve the holocron, Lord Vader," Sidious ordered before disconnecting the call.

"As my Master wishes," Vader whispered, too softly for his vocoder to pick up.

0o0o0

Somehow, in the short time Vader had been gone, Ahsoka had not only managed to find a writing implement that would work on metal, but also scribble all over the walls, including places that were far too tall for her to reach without the Force.

Vader turned to eye the stormtroopers who had been keeping an eye on her. They stiffened under his gaze and saluted.

"What did I tell you?" he asked.

"My Lord," the trooper on the left said. "You instructed us not to let the prisoner leave, and nothing else. I made the decision to give her the marker, sir."

Vader could feel his ire rising over the trooper's insolence, yet he was also a little amused, despite himself.

Suddenly, Ahsoka scrambled over and hugged the trooper around the knees before anyone could react. "Thank you," she mumbled.

Vader narrowed his eyes. He couldn't very well kill the trooper in front of her; he knew enough about child rearing to know that. "What is your name, trooper?"

"GX-3845, my Lord," the trooper said.

"Not your number, silly, your _name_ ," Ahsoka giggled.

"Sorry sir. It's Driten, Driten Bele," he stammered.

"Trooper Bele, you are now assigned to the prisoner," Vader ordered. "You are to make sure she has what she needs, but also that she cannot escape. No matter what."

"Understood, my Lord," Bele saluted.

"You are dismissed," Vader said, addressing both troopers.

Ahsoka detached from Bele's leg and waved at his back as he left. "Bye!"

She then went back to coloring on the walls. There was no clear picture, mostly just scribbles, but then Skywalker's apprentice had never had much artistic skill.

"Stop that," Vader ordered.

"Why," Ahsoka asked as she continued to scribble.

"It is undignified and unnecessary."

"Why?"

"Walls are not supposed to have childish scribbles on them," Vader said.

"It's not scribbles. It's a picture," Ahsoka insisted.

"Of what?" Vader asked.

"The Jedi," Ahsoka exclaimed, throwing her arms up in the air for some reason. "There's Obi-Wan, and there's me, and there's you, and there's Barriss, and there's Yoda," she gestured to a series of blobs that Vader supposed could be considered people. "I didn't draw anyone else yet."

"Barriss Offee was a traitor," Vader said, narrowing his eyes.

"You're a Sith," Ahsoka pointed out.

Rather than address that, Vader decided to ask about something that had been eating at him since he had escaped her subconscious. "Tell me what happened on Mortis that caused Skywalker to fall."

Ahsoka scrunched up her face. "If I do, will you answer one of my questions?"

"Yes."

"Okay. You went to go see the Father about the Son, and then the Father came to visit us and said that you had gone into the Well of the Dark side or something like that. Obi went after you, and then a little while later he commed me and told me to disable the ship, so I did. Then you showed up. Your eyes were all yellow and the skin around them was black. It was creepy," Ahsoka paused. "I left before you realized I was there and got Obi from the Well, and then we went to see the Father. You were okay by the time we got there."

Vader seethed behind his mask. Of course, the Father had even told him that he had taken memories, knowledge of the future. Skywalker had never questioned the Father any further, the fool, and neither Kenobi nor Ahsoka had deigned to tell him.

"Why did you never tell Skywalker that he had fallen?" Vader asked.

A resolute expression took residence on Ahsoka's face while she crossed her arms over her chest. "Nuh uh. It's my turn to ask a question."

"Very well. Ask."

"How come you have to use a respirator?" she asked.

"After Kenobi cut off my remaining limbs, he left me to _burn,_ " Vader spat. The cold fires of his rage at Skywalker's former Master had not abated since that day, and the strength of it leaked into the Force, lowering the temperature of the room by several degrees.

Ahsoka shivered and then did something that momentarily surprised him. She scrambled up onto his chair and slotted into his side, fitting under his arm. Ahsoka wrapped her arms around his chest, carefully staying away from any buttons on his suit.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, sniffing tearfully.

"Why are you hugging me?" Vader asked, staring down at her in genuine confusion.

"You got hurt, and I wasn't there," she mumbled.

For the first time since Ahsoka walked away, he was glad that she had left the Jedi Order, had left him. If she had still been there, she would have died, cut down by clones or his own hand. No, this was better. He had time now, time to turn her into a Sith, to continue her training.


	4. Chapter 4

After a long day of unsuccessfully hunting Rebels, Vader liked there to be silence in his quarters when he returned to meditate. However, he had installed Ahsoka's bed in one of his rooms, which meant that quiet was something that often eluded him.

Today, for example, when he walked in, he was greeted by the sight of Trooper Bele lying on the floor, half of his armor scattered about him and covered in tiny teeth marks. A blanket-covered lump was on his arm, and he was half-heartedly trying to push it off.

"What is going on here?" Vader thundered, his temper rising. It had been a trying day.

The blanket lump moved off of Bele before he hastily scrambled to his feet and snapped a quick salute.

"Sir," Bele responded, then paused.

The lump shuffled over and latched onto Vader's leg, pushing the blanket back to reveal Ahsoka's sharp, toothy grin.

"I was hunting!" she chirped. "I'm an akul. Grr."

That explained the teeth marks in Bele's armor. Vader felt his ire drain away at the hilarity. Hunting was a good tool for a Sith to have, after all, so it was good that she was practicing.

"I see. Carry on," Vader said, glad his voice modulator kept his amusement hidden.

"Wait, Anakin," Ahsoka yelled, flopping onto his cape when he turned to walk away. "I wanna see Rex. Can we? Can we, can we, can we?"

Vader froze. He had peripherally been aware that it was likely Captain Rex had survived the Fall of the Republic, possibly seen a report where his number had been a footnote, but he hadn't known that the man had joined the Rebellion.

"Pleeeeeeeaaase," Ahsoka begged, rolling over onto her back and repeatedly thumping her legs against the floor. "He prolly thinks I'm dead."

"I do not know where the Rebel base is located," Vader said.

Ahsoka pushed herself upwards and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "Well, I'm not gonna take you there."

"Than how do you propose we find the Captain?"

"We'll go see Wolffe and Gregor," Ahsoka said, nodding firmly. "Gregor is silly, but they'll listen to me."

Vader pondered Ahsoka's request, weighing both the pros and the cons. On one hand, allowing Ahsoka contact with Captain Rex could lead to a set back in her training, while also enforcing her Rebel sympathies. On the other hand, he _had_ been ordered to hunt Rebels, and this would definitely do that. And if the Captain could be swayed to an Imperial point of view, then Vader would not complain.

"Very well," he finally said. "We shall leave tomorrow. Trooper, as you were."

"Ah, yes my Lord," Bele said before he laid back down.

"Yay!" Ahsoka squealed, pouncing on the stormtrooper.

The last thing Vader heard before he swept from the room was Ahsoka growling and gnawing on a bit of armor.

0o0o0

Ahsoka was off the shuttle almost as soon as the shuttle had landed on Seelos, not even waiting for the ramp to finish lowering as she used a Force-assisted jump to disembark.

"Wheee!" she shrieked as she bounded across the ground, headed for the repurposed AT-AT.

Vader, on the other hand, waited for the ship to finish settling before he left, giving Trooper Bele strict instructions on how to proceed should the aged clones be hostile.

"C'mon, Anakin, we gotta hurry!" Ahsoka yelled, already far ahead, completely disregarding the fact that the AT-AT had it's cannons trained on them.

"Ahsoka, slow down. It's not safe," Vader ordered, but she didn't listen.

With a whirr of shifting gears, the AT-AT lowered itself to the ground, and an aged clone poked his head out of the doorway, a blaster in his hands.

"Gregor, it's me, Ahsoka!" she announced, bouncing up and down and waving.

The clone - Gregor - scratched his head. "Hey, Wolffe, can Jedi age backwards?"

Ahsoka, much to Vader's worry, was climbing up the legs of the AT-AT.

Commander Wolffe appeared from the inside. "Why're you asking about Jedi when we've got Vader paying us a visit?"

"Hi Wolffe," Ahsoka said as she leaped out and tackled him around the knees. "I'm little now."

Commander Wolffe blinked, furrowed his brow, and pulled Ahsoka off of him, lifting her in the air. "Ahsoka?"

"Yep," she said, dangling from his hands.

"But, how?"

"Hey, maybe Vader knows," Gregor suggested cheerily, waving at him.

"There was an incident with a Sith Temple," Vader explained. "Do you know how to get in contact with Captain Rex?"

Ahsoka sighed loudly as Commander Wolffe set her back down. "Anakin, that's a terrible explanation."

Both of the clones froze momentarily.

"Me 'n Kanan 'n Ezra were 'splorin' a Sith Temple, and then Ezra fell into the ground, and a bunch of 'quisitors showed up. They had really weird lightsabers. And then Ezra came back with Maul, and we all fought the 'quisitors," Ahsoka began to explain.

"This is not necessary. They have all of the pertinent information," Vader gritted out through his teeth. It was bad enough the clones knew or suspected his former identity.

Ahsoka ignored him. "And then Anakin showed up, and then we fighted, and then Ezra stole the hololocron, and then the Temple esploded, and then I was little, and Anakin adopted me."

"So what brings you out here then, little Ahsoka?" Gregor asked. "Ooh, wait, I know, it's the food. Nothing like fried joopa. Did Rex tell you that we got Big Bongo? It was beautiful!"

"Nuh uh, silly! We gotta find Rex so he knows I'm alive. Can you give him a message? Please?" Ahsoka asked, her eyes widening pitifully.

Wolffe scratched his beard. "I don't know, Commander."

"Enough. We shall be on Onderon in a week's time. Tell the Captain that if he wishes to see Ahsoka, he will be there," Vader said before turning on his heel and stalking away.

He could feel Ahsoka's disappointment in the Force, but he could also feel that she was following him.

"Bye Wolffe, bye Gregor," she called back as they left.

Her mood abruptly switched from disappointment to excitement.

"We're gonna see Rex!" she squealed, skipping up next to him. "Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you Anakin!"

She continued with the skipping until they reached the shuttle and left the planet.


	5. Chapter 5

In the week before their trip to Onderon, Vader worked with Ahsoka in what little spare time he had. He was having no trouble getting her to connect with her emotions - even when she had been a Jedi, Vader remembered her being a person of passion and drive. And yet she refused to channel those emotions through the Force and embrace the Dark side. It was very frustrating.

Lightsaber training was being put off until she used the Dark side, and knowing how much Ahsoka loved lightsaber combat, Vader figured it would only be a matter of time before she stopped being stubborn.

Perhaps he could use future visits with Captain Rex to bribe her. Or perhaps he would simply take the Captain into custody, arrest him under suspicions of Rebel activity

0o0o0

Rex was very careful not to rest his hand on his blaster as the Imperial shuttle descended into the clearing on Onderon. Once upon a time, this clearing had been used to train the people of Onderon to fight against the Seppies by the three people who were meeting here today.

Wolffe and Gregor had told him who had come to visit - everything they knew. His General, a Sith, and Ahsoka a toddler, well. If he hadn't seen the Jedi in action, Rex might not have believed it. He certainly wouldn't have thought his General capable of the same atrocities as that karking bastard Krell, but no. General Skywalker was dead. Vader was nothing more than a monstrous Sith.

He hoped that someday he would believe it.

Rex couldn't help but tense up when the hulking black figure stalked out of the shuttle, expecting the Sith to attack him at any moment. One lesson that had been hammered in during the war with the Seppies was that you could never trust a Sith.

Therefore, when a tiny Togruta pushed past Vader and ran full speed into his legs, Rex only let himself be pushed back a little bit.

"Rex, Rex, Rex, Rex, Rex!" she chanted, "Hi!"

"Hi yourself, little one," Rex said, chuckling. "I seem to remember you being a lot taller last time I saw you."

Ahsoka grinned up at him. Rex felt his heart break a little at how carefree her grin was, something he hadn't seen since she had first become his General's Padawan. There was still a shadow in her eyes that told him that she hadn't forgotten anything that had happened to her, but it was lighter than the last time he had seen her.

"I expect her to be back before the end of the day," the Sith commanded, a threat implicit in his tone.

Rex nodded in acknowledgement, although if he found any sign that Ahsoka was in any way being harmed because of that monster he would kidnap her in a heartbeat.

Ahsoka lifted up her arms and bounced up and down a few times. "Up," she commanded.

Rex chuckled and lifted her up, setting Ahsoka down on his shoulders. She giggled and wrapped her arms around the top of his head.

"Where to first, Commander?" Rex asked as he turned from the clearing, forcing the Sith from his mind and focusing on his friend.

Ahsoka hummed thoughtfully. "I dunno, where do you think we should go?"

Rex carefully thought about what Ahsoka might like to do on Onderon while they walked. Maybe she'd want to eat something, younglings always seemed to eat a lot. He wasn't really sure what else normal younglings liked to do, never having experienced such a thing himself.

"Do you want to eat something?" he tentatively suggested.

Her response was immediate. "Ice cream!"

Rex pretended to think about it, suppressing a grin. "Hmm, you know, I don't think I saw any ice cream shops when I landed."

He felt more than heard her horrified gasp. "No ice cream?"

"Don't worry, Ahsoka," he said, patting the side of her leg reassuringly. "I'm sure between the two of us we'll be able to hunt down all the ice cream you could eat."

0o0o0

Toddlers, as it turned out, could eat _a lot_ of ice cream. Not having many opportunities to spend significant lengths of time with younglings of any species, Rex didn't realize his mistake in giving Ahsoka as much ice cream as she could eat without throwing up until it was too late.

She metabolized the treat at a rate that would have concerned anyone without a modified metabolism and was very soon vibrating with seemingly boundless energy. If they weren't in public, Rex was fairly certain she would have been literally bouncing off the walls. As it was, he was hard pressed to keep up with her as she darted through the crowded streets.

"Kriff, you're a fast little bugger," Rex said when he finally caught up with Ahsoka.

Her eyes widened in delight. "Kriff!"

"Did you forget something?" Rex asked, unsure as to why she might be swearing.

Ahsoka grinned toothily. "Kriff, kark, shavit!"

"Oh boy," Rex muttered when he realized what was going on.

Ahsoka's gleeful cursing was beginning to draw attention from other people in the area. The gawkers looked shocked and scandalized when Rex began to suggest some curse words in Mando'a for her to laugh about.

After a while, though, Ahsoka began to tire out as the sugar rush ended.

"Poodoo… sleemo…," she muttered as she leaned against Rex's leg, her eyelids drooping.

"C'mere, you," Rex said as he hefted her onto his hip. "Let's go home."

"Can't," Ahsoka mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. "Gotta stay with Anakin."

Rex's heart plummeted. "Ahsoka, that's not General Skywalker anymore."

"Yes he is," Ahsoka sleepily insisted. "He's just being stupid. Besides, I promised I wouldn't leave him."

Rex sighed. "Alright. Whatever you say." He had a feeling that if he did kidnap Ahsoka, she would be trying to escape as soon as she woke up, and he didn't want to hold her against her will.

There would also have been the small matter of having a Sith on his heels, but Rex was more concerned about the consequences of losing Ahsoka's trust than that.

"Thanks, Rex," Ahsoka yawned, dropping her head onto his shoulder.

"If he ever hurts you, though, just say the word and I'll come back for you," Rex promised.

She nodded, and a few moments later her breathing evened out as she slipped into sleep.

Against his better judgement, Rex found himself reluctantly heading back to the clearing where the Sith waited for them.


	6. Chapter 6

During the time that Ahsoka was away, Vader meditated, focusing on his bond with Ahsoka rather than the Force. He let her emotions crash against his shields, light enough that they would not overwhelm him but still strong enough for him to identify them. Vader was prepared to get to her side as soon as possible, no matter how many he had to slaughter on his way, the moment Ahsoka felt any fear.

However, the only emotions Vader could read from her were positive ones: happiness, camaraderie, amusement, excitement. The crazed restlessness was a little disconcerting, but when it was swiftly followed by drowsiness Vader figured that Ahsoka had been given sugar. He hadn't allowed her any sweets during her stay with him, so she must have manipulated Captain Rex into giving her something.

The steady beep of his commlink pulled Vader from his meditation.

The small glowing blue figure of Captain Greidu rose up when he answered it.

The captain had strict instructions not to contact him unless it was an emergency or the Emperor. Judging by the fact that Captain Greidu was only slightly terrified, it was probably an emergency.

"We've been attacked by rebels, my lord," the captain said without any preamble. "We fought them off with minimal casualties and little overall damage, but they fled to the planet."

"Have any efforts been made to pursue?" Vader asked, his ire rising. Captain Rex had told his rebel friends about the meeting, perhaps even conspired to kidnap Ahsoka. He would pay for his betrayal.

The captain hesitated. "One of the rebels infiltrated our ranks, my lord, and all of our TIE fighters were sabotaged."

"What about the ground troops?" Vader asked.

"They have been deployed, my lord," the captain said.

There was something else, a presence he had felt before on Malachor and Lothal. The Jedi Padawan was here, probably to try and rescue Ahsoka.

"I will meet up with the ground troops and lead the search for the rebels," Vader said before shutting off his comm, intent on tracking down the Padawan.

0o0o0

The sound of someone trying to be stealthy in the surrounding jungle but failing made Rex freeze, his free hand on his blaster. Ahsoka stirred sleepily, lifting her head off of his shoulder and staring straight at the source of the disturbance while blinking heavily.

"Why's Ezra in the jungle?" she asked around a yawn.

Rex cursed under his breath and set Ahsoka down. The Padawan had followed him in order to rescue Ahsoka, he was fairly sure. He was also sure that if Vader caught word of Ezra then he would be blamed.

"I don't know," Rex said loud enough for his voice to carry. "But I don't think he's supposed to be here, do you?"

Ahsoka shook her head and giggled when Rex raised his eyebrows at the end of his question.

Ezra stumbled out from behind a large tree, almost tripping over a vine. Ahsoka giggled again.

"Hey, Rex," Ezra called. "Where's Ahsoka? We have a ship waiting, and Steela and Saw are distracting the stormtroopers so we can get away."

Rex sighed and looked down at Ahsoka. She flashed him a sharp-toothed grin and nodded.

"Ahsoka's right here," Rex said, stifling a grin.

Ezra looked around, even checking up in the trees, trying to see where Ahsoka was. To be fair, Rex hadn't expected the kid to immediately figure out that the toddler next to him was an experienced rebel leader and former Jedi.

"Don't recognize me?" Ahsoka asked, still grinning.

Ezra gaped at her "What- How- What?"

"It was the energy from the Sith Temple," Ahsoka explained. "It pushed me back a few years."

"But then how did you get off of Malachor? You're way too small to fly a ship," Ezra exclaimed.

"Anakin wouldn't leave me," Ahsoka said.

"Wait, your master? I thought he was dead." Ezra furrowed his brow in confusion. "Can Jedi stick around after they're dead, like ghosts?"

Rex snorted. He couldn't help it. What had Jarrus been teaching his Padawan? If any Jedi could show up after death, it would be Skywalker or Kenobi - possibly Yoda as well - but it was impossible.

"He's not dead," was all Ahsoka said in response.

Ezra shook his head as if banishing a stray thought. "It doesn't matter; we need to go. Darth Vader is on this planet, and I really don't wanna run into _him_ again."

"No," Ahsoka said.

"Ahsoka, you know how dangerous the Sith Lord is. We need to bring you back to the Rebellion," Ezra argued.

Ahsoka sat down and crossed her arms over her chest. "No."

Ezra narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to continue arguing, but then he froze, his eyes zeroing in on something in the jungle. He shivered. "He's coming," he whispered.

He leapt in front of them and ignited his lightsaber moments before the Sith stepped out of the jungle.

"Run!" the Padawan yelled, as if he would be enough to hold off a Sith Lord for longer than a few moments.

"You will not be going anywhere," the Sith declared, his lightsaber snapping on with a sinister hiss.

Rex could almost see the situation spiraling out of control, and a glance at Ahsoka's determined expression told him she could see it too. Years of experience with both Commander Tano and Fulcrum meant that Rex knew that she was two seconds away from stepping in and potentially escalating the situation. Rex was more expendable, just an old clone past his expiration date; he needed to act before she got hurt.

Rex stepped forward, grabbed Ezra's arm and gently pushed it down. "This isn't a fight you can win."

Ezra's eyes darted from Rex to the Sith and back again, weighing his options carefully.

Ahsoka, however, was not going to be left out of the action. She ducked around Ezra's lightsaber, almost giving Rex a heart attack, and ran straight over to the Sith. Thankfully, he turned off his lightsaber when she got close. She latched onto his leg, resting her head against the black fabric of his hip, and, to everyone's shock, burst into tears.

"What's wrong, little one," the Sith asked, gently resting his hand on the back of her head.

Rex took a step forward, unable to completely resist the urge to console Ahsoka. Next to him, Ezra powered down his lightsaber and stared at the hulking black menace who was trying to comfort the tiny toddler.

"I- I- I don't know," Ahsoka sobbed.

Rex wanted to bundle her up in the softest blankets in the galaxy and then wrap her in a layer of beskar'gam so that she could never be hurt again. It was the fanciful wish of a moment; Ahsoka was a fighter. She would never allow herself to be stowed away like that.

The Sith clearly was feeling something similar, for he scooped Ahsoka up off the ground. She grabbed the edge of his cape and wrapped it around herself.

"I must still arrest the Jedi and the Rebel," the Sith admonished.

"No," she wailed, sobs still shaking her tiny body. "Please don't!"

The Sith paused, and something in the way he held his shoulders changed. "Very well," he said finally, before turning and leaving.

Rex released a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding, feeling bereft and abandoned. At least this time he knew she wasn't dead, he reminded himself. Still, no matter how many times it happened, Rex knew he would never get used to Ahsoka walking away.

"So that's it," Ezra said, sounding unimpressed. "We're just going to let _Darth Vader_ walk off with Ahsoka."

"No much else we can do," Rex replied.

"But it's _Ahsoka_ ," he protested. "She would come back for us."

"There's more to the situation than you know," Rex said. "You can't tell anyone about what happened to her."

Ezra shrugged out from underneath Rex's hand. "Whatever," he muttered belligerently, stalking back off from where he came.

Rex sighed and, with one last glance in the direction where Ahsoka had disappeared, followed.

A/N: Alright, there's two ways I can go with this from here on out. Option 1: I mark this story as complete and we jump forward a few years to A New Hope. Option 2: I continue with the second story arc in my outline, which involves Vader being bad at emotions and also breaking one of the top ten rules of parenting (Never Take Your Eyes Off The Child). I'm pretty ambivalent, so I figured I'd ask for opinions.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: So I decided to continue with toddler Ahsoka for a little while longer, but I think it'll only be a few more chapters before I get to A New Hope.

Vader had made a mistake.

If there was one thing that the Jedi and the Sith agreed upon, it was that attachments were a very bad thing. The Jedi had seen attachments as temptations, seducers that led the unwary right over the edge, into the arms of the Dark side. The Sith, on the other hand, saw attachments as weaknesses, chinks in the armor through which a vibroblade could be slipped.

Anakin Skywalker had viewed his attachments as the best thing in his life, the reason he woke up in the morning and continued fighting everyday. Attachments had, in the end, been what truly killed Anakin Skywalker.

Vader knew that attachments were a dangerous mistake, and that whatever good feelings they brought were far eclipsed by the pain they could cause when they were ripped away.

Despite his better judgement, he had found himself becoming attached to Ahsoka once again.

It had already reached a dangerous point; he never would have let two rebels, one of them a Jedi, escape if he had been in his right mind. Clearly, something would have to be done.

He knew of no method to obliterate feelings of attachment, to feel complete indifference. The only way he had found to turn love into hatred was if the person he - no, Skywalker had loved betrayed him, as Kenobi had done. It would be nearly impossible for Ahsoka to betray him as she was now, but if he could find a way to return her to her true age, then they would be able to finish their fight. He would be able to move on and let go of his attachments.

The Sith holocron that the Padawan had stolen would have been his best bet to undo the Sith magics on Ahsoka, but it would take too long to track the rebels down again. Vader knew they would resurface soon, but he didn't have time to wait. He would have to consult with one of his Master's holocrons on Coruscant.

0o0o0

After a few weeks of spending time with Ahsoka when Lord Vader was busy, Bele felt that he could say that he liked her. It was pleasant to spend time with her, even if she was only three years old. She was a lot more mature than most three-year-olds, although most of his experience with beings of that age was from his younger sisters, not togrutas. Maybe it was more common for them to be more mature.

Whatever it was, being ordered to keep an eye on Ahsoka was the best part of his day.

Unfortunately, Bele had come down with Corellian Flu two days before they landed on Coruscant, which meant that someone else had to watch Ahsoka, as Corellian Flu was fatal to togrutas.

He just knew that the new person was going to mess up.

0o0o0

Sidious was not on Coruscant when Vader arrived, thankfully, which meant that Vader had unrestricted access to the Sith holocrons. Of course, that didn't mean that the holocrons would cooperate with him, only that his Master wouldn't learn of what Vader wanted to know until much later.

No one dared to disturb him as he stalked through the halls of the Imperial Palace, and so he was able to enter one of his Master's inner sanctuaries impeded only by the pathetic traps Sidious had set up against those who weren't Sith. He locked the door behind him with the Force, certain that a report was already going out to Sidious about his actions and not caring.

This room was full of pedestals, each with a glowing holocron on it, red, blue, or yellow, and of various shapes.

He delved into the Force, making it show him which of the holocrons would give him the answer to his problem.

A glowing red cube rose up from its pedestal, its outer casing releasing its hold on the inner core when he directed the Dark side into the holocron.

The red image of a togrutan Sith Lady appeared from the depths of the holocron, black tattoos curling over every inch of skin visible beneath her dark robe. It was Darth Infera, which was good. She was far less likely to lie than most Sith.

"Darth Infera," Vader said, nodding his head in her direction. "I seek information regarding the Sith Temple on Malachor."

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes narrowed while she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "What does Sidious's pet want with Malachor?"

"I am not his pet!" Vader snarled.

"That still doesn't answer my question," she said, baring sharp teeth at him in a mockery of a smile.

"How does one go about reversing the effect the Temple has on age?" he asked reluctantly.

Infera began to laugh. "Oh, you caught a Jedi! Excellent! Why would you ever want to reverse that? Fallen Jedi make the best apprentices."

"I do not wish for her to be my apprentice. She is far too willful," Vader said.

"That's what memory wipes are for," Infera responded. "Did you forget to wipe her memory before you tried to make her your apprentice? It will be nearly impossible for you to remake her into a proper Sith until she's forgotten her past."

"I have no desire to make her into a Sith," Vader said.

Infera sighed heavily. "Pity. And here I thought you were finally becoming a true Sith, with your own apprentice, ready to overthrow your Master."

Vader resisted the urge to try and strangle the long-dead Sith. It would have no effect and only serve to amuse her. "I will only ask once more. How do I reverse it?"

Infera smirked. "You can't."

Her holocron was only saved from destruction by the sudden alert from his comm. He answered it without moving his gaze from the Sith Lady.

"My lord, she's gone missing," said the stormtrooper who had called him. "The togruta child."

A fury unlike any he'd felt since Kenobi absconded with Padmé swept over Vader, and the only reason he didn't strangle the life from the 'trooper in front of him for _losing Ahsoka_ was because he needed him to figure out where she was last seen. After that, Vader would make him pay for his incompetence.

"I wish you all the best with your new apprentice, Lord Vader," Infera said in a sickly sweet voice before vanishing into her holocron.

Vader tucked the holocron into a pouch at his belt where she wouldn't be able to come into contact with Sidious and stalked from the room, intent on finding his apprentice.


	8. Chapter 8

Moro Mahaneran, Senator of Pantora, was halfway through reading a bill on glitterstim regulation when the door to her office opened. She sighed in frustration and looked up, ready to take out her ire on whichever bumbling fool had stepped into her office. No one ever visited the office of a non-human unless they were hiding from someone, lost, or planning something malicious. Moro had found that yelling worked well for any of those three options.

Moro blinked when she saw who had interrupted her reading: a tiny Togruta child, probably no more than three years old, wearing a little red dress. There was a baffled look stretched across her face. She was absolutely adorable, and more than likely lost.

"Is Riyo here?" she asked, staring hopefully at Moro with big, blue eyes.

Moro's heart just about broke from how hopeful the little girl looked when she knew she was going to have to crush that hope. Riyo Chuchi, if that was who the little girl was looking for, hadn't been the Pantoran Senator for three years.

"Riyo's not here anymore, sweetie. I'm the Senator now," Moro said as gently as she could.

The little girl's eyes filled with tears, and Moro felt like the worst sort of villain.

She got up from her desk and wrapped the little girl up in a fierce hug.

"How about I take you back to your guardian, okay?" she asked. Moro figured she was probably related to the Senator from Shili in some way; they both had orange-toned skin, blue eyes, and blue markings. If they weren't related, then he would be able to find her parents much easier than she would.

The little girl nodded, so Moro scooped her up and walked out of her office, locking the door behind her.

They drew many stares as they walked through the halls, the Pantoran Senator carrying a Togruta child. Moro kept her eyes forward, not deigning to give any of the gawkers more than a second's thought. She could only hope that Atochu Tano was in his office and not out somewhere. It _was_ getting close to the lunch hour.

Thankfully, Atochu was there, reading something on a padd.

"Senator Mahaneran, what brings you and the little one to my office?" he asked.

Moro smiled and set the little girl down. "This little one came to my office looking for my predecessor. I thought she might be one of yours."

Atochu frowned. "I haven't lost any younglings, although she does look familiar. What's your name, little one?"

Moro felt a little bad that she hadn't thought to ask for the girl's name herself.

"Ahsoka Tano," the little girl said.

Atochu gasped. "That was my little sister's name. You must be her daughter."

Ahsoka shrugged.

Moro smiled, happy she had been able to play a part in the family reunion. "I'm just going to head back to my office."

"Of course, thank you so much," Atochu said distractedly.

0o0o0

Vader could barely feel the stormtrooper's fear in the Force over the strength of his own anger.

"Where was the last place you saw her?" he asked as calmly as he could.

The stormtrooper swallowed audibly. "She asked to see the Senate building, my lord. Said she wanted to see someone named Riyo."

A bit of confusion leaked through Vader's intense anger. Why would Ahsoka seek out the former Pantoran Senator? They had been friends, he vaguely remembered, during the Clone Wars.

It was plausible they had continued their friendship, he acknowledged, but then wouldn't she know that Chuchi was no longer a Senator?

It didn't matter, Vader decided. He would find Ahsoka as soon as he was finished punishing the stormtrooper for his negligence.

0o0o0

Three hours after Moro had brought Ahsoka to her uncle, her door opened again, revealing someone she'd never hoped to face.

"Lord Vader," Moro greeted as she stood, her expression the careful picture of helpful subservience. A cold lump of fear formed in her stomach. "How can I help you?"

"Where is the girl?" Lord Vader asked.

Moro frowned in confusion. "Could you be a little more specific, my lord?"

She wrapped her hands around the edge of her desk for support, hoping that Lord Vader wasn't looking for little Ahsoka.

'She is a Togrutan toddler," Lord Vader said.

Moro's heart sank as she tried not to imagine what Lord Vader wanted with Ahsoka.

"Oh, yes, Ahsoka," she said with a fake smile. "She was here just a few hours ago."

"Where is she now?" Lord Vader asked again. "If she has come to any harm, you will not enjoy the consequences."

Moro swallowed and gripped the edge of her desk tight enough to hurt. "I brought her to the office of Senator Tano from Shili. He thought she might have been his little sister's daughter."

Lord Vader stared at her for another terrifying moment before he turned and swept out of the door. Before the door could close though, he paused.

"You will tell no one of Ahsoka Tano," he ordered, and then Lord Vader was gone.

Moro collapsed into her chair, unable to keep herself from trembling with fear any longer. She felt sick to her stomach and hopelessly confused.

What did the head of the Imperial military and a Lord of the Sith want with a tiny, non-human child?

Moro didn't even want to contemplate some of the possibilities. She had a dreadful feeling that she'd just sentenced an innocent child to a fate worse than death to spare her own life.

Once Moro got her shakes under control, she commed Atochu. It was the least she could do after sending Lord Vader to his office.


	9. Chapter 9

Atochu hadn't known Ahsoka very well. He'd only been five when the Jedi had taken her. He'd been a little sad, growing up, that he didn't have a little sister to spend time with, but he'd also been proud that she was serving the Republic, making the galaxy a better place. It was what had inspired him to go into politics in the first place.

He'd thought Ahsoka had been killed with the rest of the Jedi and mourned for what could have been. Yet here and now was her daughter, practically the spitting image of what little he could remember of his sister. He had no idea how she'd gotten to Imperial Center, but maybe she could lead him to Ahsoka.

Atochu knelt down next to her so that he was on her level. "Do you know where your mother is?"

Little Ahsoka shook her head and fidgeted with the hem of her dress.

"What about your father?" he asked.

She shrugged.

Atochu sighed and ran a hand down his face. Little Ahsoka didn't even want to talk to him, he could tell. Maybe her parents had told her to never talk to strangers of any sort, although that still didn't explain why she wouldn't talk to him. He was her uncle!

Except she'd only met him a few minutes ago. He _was_ a stranger to her, and it was common practice to teach children to be wary of strangers, especially if their parents were wanted for the capital offense of being a Jedi.

"Ahsoka, did anyone ever teach you how to use the Force?" he asked.

She eyed him warily for a moment, and Atochu felt like she was closely examining his very soul. Then she nodded.

Atochu's stomach churned with anxiety. It was his duty as a citizen of the Empire to report all children who were strong in the Force, but this was his neice. He couldn't let them take her.

He reached back, fumbling for his comm, before he opened up a call to Kelsa Dorum, his personal assistant.

"What's up, boss?" she asked.

"I need you to find out when the next transport to Shili leaves."

There was silence for a few moments as Kelsa searched, and then she said "It looks like the next one leaves in an hour."

Ahsoka stared at him.

"Could you please come into my office? I have someone I need you to escort onto that ship," he said. It was the only way to keep her safe.

Kelsa sighed. "On it, boss."

0o0o0

There were times when Kelsa wished she hadn't applied for the position of a Senator's personal assistant, that she'd stayed on Shili and become a huntress instead. She'd had the musculature for it, everyone had said so, but then Tano had wanted to go into politics.

It wasn't all bad. She'd always wanted to see other planets, and Kelsa would never have met her girlfriend if she'd stayed on Shili. Besides, it wasn't unusual for a personal assistant to occasionally double as a bodyguard.

That, of course, meant that she'd seen some strange things over the course of her career, so being asked to escort a toddler onto a ship back to Shili wasn't that big of a deal.

"So, what do you like to do for fun?" Kelsa asked, glancing down at the little girl.

Ahsoka tightened her grip on Kelsa's hand and didn't say anything.

Kelsa sighed. Linneal would know what to do. Linneal was great with kids. She didn't have time to enlist her girlfriend's help though, not if she wanted to get Ahsoka onto the transport on time.

Ske kept a careful hold on Ahsoka's hand as she made her way through the crowd, heading for the shipyard.

"Pass, please," the bored attendant said when Kelsa approached his station.

She used one hand to open her purse and the other to dig through the detritus she inevitably accumulated. When she turned back to grab Ahsoka's hand again, the little girl was gone.

0o0o0

Kelsa didn't know how long she had been searching for Ahsoka when she noticed that she had a message on her comm from Tano.

She ducked into a nearby alley and checked to make sure it was empty before playing back the message.

"Kelsa, what's taking you so long? You do know I only wanted my niece on the transport, right?" Tano asked with a grin. "Please hurry back."

Kelsa rubbed her eyes and shut off her comm. There was nothing for it. She was going to have to tell him that she'd lost Ahsoka.

So focused was she on her misery over the lost little girl that Kelsa didn't even noticed there was anyone else in Tano's office until it was too late.

"Lord Vader!" she gasped. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realize anyone else was in here. I'll just go," she added, edging towards the door, trying and failing to remain unnerved when Lord Vader turned the ominous black lenses of his helmet on her.

"Are you the one who removed Ahsoka Tano from this building?" Lord Vader asked threateningly.

Kelsa looked over at Tano, who shook his head.

She plastered on her best look of polite confusion and said "I'm sorry, my Lord, but I've never heard of an Ahsoka Tano."

"I know you are lying," Lord Vader growled.

Kriff. He had some sort of Jedi magic, didn't he? She'd have to tell the truth, or he'd do some sort of evil spell.

"I have no idea where Ahsoka Tano is presently," Kelsa said with a grimace. "She managed to steal away from me while I was purchasing passage onto a ship for her, and I have spent the last few hours trying to track her down."

"You _lost_ her?" Tano cried.

"She _ran away_!" Kelsa shot back. "And if she's got the same Jedi powers as her mom then there's no way in the empty hells I was gonna be able to find her again. I only came back so that I could notify the authorities."

Tano didn't remember what his little sister had been like before the Jedi had stolen her, but Kelsa did.

"There will be no need," Lord Vader said, startling Kelsa. "I will take care of this."

His black cloak flapped dramatically behind him as he left.

"I'm sorry," Kelsa said quietly. "Boss, I'm so, so sorry."

Tano didn't say anything, just stared blankly into space.


	10. Chapter 10

Malse had been standing guard outside of Lord Vader's shuttle for six hours and was bored out of his mind when the little Togruta girl tried to break into it.

"I need to see Anakin," she whined, grating on his ears. Gods below, he hated small children.

"I dunno who Anakin is, but you can't go in there," he said. The kid was probably lost and looking for her older sibling.

The little girl tried to slip past him, but Malse hadn't been promoted to Lord Vader's personal stormtroopers for nothing. He grabbed her arm, tightening his grip to the point where he was worried he was going to hurt her if she tried to break free.

"Let me go!" she demanded angrily.

"Where are your parents?" he asked.

"Don't have any," she said, glaring at the floor.

Kriff. Kriff, kriff, kriff, kriff, _kriff_. Malse had absolutely no idea what to do with a lost orphan. He was fairly sure there were orphanages or foster homes or something on Imperial Center, but he didn't even know where to _begin_ looking. Maybe she had guardians somewhere, or other family members who watched over her, who would be really worried that she was missing.

"What about aunts or uncles?" he asked hopefully. "Or any other sort of guardian, do you got one of those?"

She stopped twisting her arm in his grip and said. "Just Anakin. Sometimes Driten watches me though."

Malse recognized that name. "Driten Bele?"

She nodded.

He sighed, wishing for a moment that someone else would show up and take over. Malse hated comming people, hated it with a burning passion stronger than the fires of Mustafar. No one showed though, so he would have to be the one to do it. After all, he needed to get the kid back to her watcher before she tried to break into Lord Vader's ship again.

"Alright. I'm going to comm him for you, let him know you're here," he said.

She stared at him expectantly, so Malse took two deep breaths to push aside his anxiety and dialed Bele's number before he could talk himself out of it. He swallowed uneasily against the sudden dryness of his throat, glad that no one could see his face beneath his helmet.

Thankfully, it didn't take Bele long to answer.

"Bele here."

"Hi Driten!" the little girl chirped before Malse could answer.

"Wha- Ahsoka? Where are you?" Bele asked.

"I'm tryna get on Anakin's ship, but he won't let me." Ahsoka pouted.

"Soka, your… guardian has been frantic with worry ever since you went missing. You are going to stay put, understand?" Bele's hologram pointed his finger at Ahsoka for emphasis before he turned to Malse. "You, trooper, make sure she gets inside and _stays_ there."

Malse instinctively straightened up. "Yessir. Where do you want her, sir?"

"Anywhere should be good, as long as you keep her away from the controls. I need to contact her guardian now. Bele out."

He pulled in a shaky breath of air, then let it out before he keyed in the code to lower the ramp of Lord Vader's shuttle. "Let's find you somewhere to stay until your guardian gets here."

0o0o0

Vader didn't pay attention to where he was going as he pondered the problem of how to locate Ahsoka. He could search for her with the Force, but his Master was bound to notice. Letting his Master find out about Ahsoka was not an option. He could set the local police force on her trail, but that would lead to the Social Services getting involved too. He could just order them to leave Ahsoka with him, but that would lead to awkward questions. Vader would probably have to kill them. Normally, he would have no problem with that, but if he went around killing Social Service people, his Master would inevitably hear about it, which would be bad.

The insistent beeping of his personal commlink pulled him out of his planning and brought him to a halt in the middle of a hallway in the Senate building. Vader didn't even notice the frightened interns ducking around him as he answered.

"Bele here, my Lord. Your ward has been found," Trooper Bele reported.

"Where?"

"She is at your personal shuttle now, my Lord."

Vader closed the connection and left the Senate Building. He grabbed the first speeder he saw that would be able to support his weight and hotwired it.

Strangely enough, his worry only grew the closer he got to Ahsoka. Had she been hurt in the hours since she'd gotten lost? Had it been an accident that she'd gone to his shuttle? Was she trying to steal it, to leave him behind on Coruscant while she returned to the Rebels?

Vader didn't run to his shuttle once he leapt from the speeder, but he did walk faster than normal. The stormtrooper on guard wasn't at his station, but that was of little concern. He was close enough to feel Ahsoka's muted presence in the Force now. It felt like a balmy breeze, soothing away his worry as their bond strengthened. He would have to wall it away behind stronger shields before he spoke with his Master again, but for now Vader felt something that was almost relief.

He nearly ran over the stormtrooper outside the door to his meditation chamber who tried to stutter out an excuse before he dismissed him. The door swished open, revealing Ahsoka curled up on the seat of his hyperbaric chamber, completely asleep.

Ahsoka had come back for him. She hadn't left.

It had been almost fifteen years since Vader had felt the strange, bright little emotion that flickered into being in the depths of his heart. It felt akin to love, but with none of the harsh cruelty. Even just the smallest flicker of it made him feel like he could fly without a ship. Long moments of just watching Ahsoka breath and feeling the quiet murmur of her sleeping mind brush against his passed before he realized what it was. Hope.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who left reviews or favorited! I don't know when I'm going to publish the sequel because I'm going to try and finish it first, but hopefully it will be soonish.


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